The Crazy Way The Simpsons Is Getting Honored By Major League Baseball

From tennis to hockey to football, The Simpsons maintains its finger on the pulse of the sports world, but arguably no athletic event has had more of an impact on the iconic FOX series than baseball. America's pastime has influenced some of the beloved series' most famous episodes, and now Major League Baseball is going to honor the show properly. 25 years after the release of the classic episode "Homer at the Bat," the overweight patriarch of the Simpson's household will finally be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in an event that we've all been waiting for.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame plans to induct Homer Simpson into its ranks in honor of the 25th anniversary of "Homer at the Bat" with an event that will see the opening of a Simpsons-themed exhibit at the Hall of Fame, located in Cooperstown, Ohio. As well, Wade Boggs and Ozzie Smith (who both made cameos in the episode) will participate in a roundtable discussion with several members of the show's crew who worked on the classic installment of the legendary FOX series. If Wade Boggs is going to be there, I'm sure the Duff beer will be flowing.

The iconography of "Homer at the Bat" extends far beyond its obvious passion for the MLB. It's also an episode that perfectly embodies the traction that The Simpsons started to establish during its early years on the air. "Homer at the Bat" was a huge ratings success when it debuted in 1992, and it actually marked the first time that the cartoon managed to beat The Cosby Show in the ratings -- the two were major competitors with one another during the early 1990s. Beyond that, in the years since "Homer at the Bat" first aired, it has gone on to regularly make the cut on a wide variety of "Top Simpsons Episodes" lists. This is one of the most quintessential episodes of The Simpsons ever made, and its acknowledgment by the MLB is a fitting anniversary gift.

You look like you could use some "Homer at the Bat" to brighten up your day. Check out a clip from the classic episode for a quick reminder of how iconic this installment in the series has become over the years:

All this talk about "Homer at the Bat" makes me want to do a little Simpsonsbinge-watching, so I think that is definitely how I am going to spend the rest of my day. Make sure to check out a brand new episode of The Simpsons (which is now powering its way through Season 28) on Sunday, March 5 at 8 p.m. EST on FOX.